Wolf Spider
Jason Peters tells this story better than I can:
After a bit of research on BugGuide, I identified this guy as Schizocosa avida. At first I thought he was a Rabid Wolf Spider, but the markings weren’t quite right, and this guy was a bit smaller than Rabid Wolf Spiders usually get.
Here are a couple of photos of a wolf spider
that my wife caught. She had killed one a couple of
months ago, and I asked her to catch it the next time
she saw one. She went downstairs for a late night
snack, and this fella was quickly making his way
across the floor. She quickly grabbed a glass and
caught the spider, then went up and told me to take
some pictures of it, or else it would be very dead
very soon. ).
I grabbed my camera removed the glass, and he stayed
mostly still to have his picture taken (although he
didn’t seem too keen on my taking a head on shot, I
had to reach out with the camera to get it in front of
him). The lighting in the room wasn’t so great, but
the pictures turned out somewhat ok (though not as
clear as that carpet beetle I sent a little while
ago).
Oh, and did I mention that my wife was 8 1/2 months
pregnant at the time? She had to bend down to the ground to catch
a spider that gives her heebie jeebies. JUST SO I CAN
PICTURES OF IT. Oh, and I took the spider outside.
It will live to see another day, though that isn’t
guaranteed if it crosses paths with my wife again.
Guys, I cannot stress enough how important it is to marry a woman who will put up with your bug shenanigans. I got it right, and Jason certainly did too. Jason took this picture back in April, so I imagine the baby has already come. Hopefully wife and child are doing well.
Thank you, Jason! Great pic!
This hasn't happened in forever: Today's InsectPOD gives me THE WILLIES. Click for creepy garden spider ON MY PORCH: 
tceisele said,
September 12, 2008 @ 8:13 am
You know, when I was a kid, it seemed like girls and women in general wouldn’t put up with bugs, no way, no how. But now, there seem to be quite a number of us who have succeeded in marrying women who are, if not “ok” with bugs, at least willing to tolerate them for our sakes. And, when I gave a presentation on the local insect life at the public library last month, most of the thirty or so attendees seemed to be women bringing their kids (and a lot of the kids were girls). Things are changing.
And, my daughter is still catching bugs to bring to me for photographing (last night, it was an ant, which she then happily fed to the ant lions that we have living in a basin of sand in the kitchen)
And Jason, your child will probably start taking an interest in your bug photographing right about the time they turn two. Just so you know.
AJ said,
September 12, 2008 @ 10:26 am
And some of us women actually like insects and spiders so much that we’re the ones taking the pictures
My husband occasionally grabs my camera and takes a picture if I’m busy or asleep, but more often than not, he tells me where there’s a cool bug and then I take the pictures, because I’m better with the camera.
I was also the one who had to get the palo verde beetles out of the house when I was a teen, because everyone else in the family was afraid of them and would prefer to kill them instead of freeing them.
David Brady said,
September 12, 2008 @ 11:04 am
AJ: Awesome!
ziyda said,
September 12, 2008 @ 12:29 pm
That’s a great story! It is also awesome that I can see the spiders eyes : )
Jason Peters said,
September 12, 2008 @ 5:27 pm
Yeah, I love the eyes. If you look closely, you see the eyes on the top of the head as well. They look like dark spots (the top ones didn’t reflect the flash back). The side shot I have you can see them better, but the front shot you can see the 4 small forward facing eyes with 2 bigger ones right above.
Janet Cummings said,
September 17, 2008 @ 4:37 pm
Yep. My family is so switched. I’m the photographer. And my poor husband is the chicken that will run screaming at the sight of a bug, or a snake. *shakes head* He’s really not pleased that I’m letting my banana spider roost and have her babies outside our carport. I’m imagining a total meltdown with it.